Beer: Reviews & Ratings

It was a stubby 330 ml bottle poured into a frosted challis. This was one of several beers imacoug returned to Washington with after a vacation in Florida. We got together on a Sunday afternoon to share a few newbies and watch football.

A: It poured a dark cloudy brown and an abundance of black floaties that settled quickly in the base of the challis. It had a moderate head that held on and covered the surface of the beer late into the event. However, probably because of the high alcohol content, the head refused to lace the side of the glass.

S: The aroma is subtle and unremarkable. There are hints of the malts but there as an aroma that I could not place. It had a chemical smell to it that was refreshing but somewhat artificial.

T: I experienced mostly a burnt malt kind of flavor with a strong alcohol burn. Each sip offered a bit of caramel front side with a sour bite on the back side that lingered after I swallowed the beer. The flavor was mediciney and lingered way to long diminishing my enjoyment of the flavors.

M: Full bodied with a sour chemical aftertaste. No carbonation.

D: This one has a kick to it that would prevent it being a session beer. I split one with imacoug and after half a bottle a warm glow was already evident. It is poorly balanced resulting in dominant flavors that detract from the quality of the beer.

Comment: I love quads and this is definitely at home in the quad family. However, for a Belgium quad it falls short of some of its Trappist cousins, as well as short by a long shot from its brother from the same brewery. (1,577 characters)

The foam is thin, but persistent. The smell is quite variegated, from the fruity (even inclined to the too matured fruit) to the cheese?
The colour is mud, no other way to describe it.
It has a creamy flavour, fruity. The taste is even too fruity, maybe raisin. The hop is present in the carpet of flavour. The beer is unbalanced to the sweet. The bitter is noticeable just in the aftertaste. I've tryed this beer on tap at the 24 hour of Antwerpen last year, and I remember it very different (and much better...). Maybe it is the bottle. (540 characters)

Pours a slight murky/cloudy/dirty apricot with a thick, guazey white head. I seem to really like the look of a dirty beer! Smells of caramel/toffee malts, cardamom, licorice, and big, spicy medicinal hops. Almost smells like an English Barleywine (with spices). Big malty sweetness with stewed fruit cocktail up front. Big, spicy (fennel), medicinal warming hops and alcohol come on strong and remain so into the finish. Too cough syrupy, and with the fennely spices, not the greatest combination. Cloying and syrupy big mouthfeel. Nice looking and smelling, but...taste...could barely finish. (593 characters)

Pours a still muddy burgundy with tons of powdery sediments. No head. No pop on opening. Very fruity nose: perfumey pears, plums, oranges, apples. Sweet caramel. woody spiciness, cinammon. Moderately yeasty. Remarkably hidden alcohol, but the flat body is very annoying and removes a big part of the excitement which is sad because there is a nice range of malt flavors and no yeasty acidity to speak of. Still, I dont know that I would enjoy this all that much as sweet as it is and with nothing to counter it. It feels like a fruity sweet full bodied red wine. (564 characters)

I had to check the ratings before I rated this one. Its incredibly low carbonation. I was worried with the very weak pfssht on cracking the cap, but looking at the ratings here, its either an incredibly common problem for this beer, or a flaw in every bottle. Anyway, it pours a cloudy brown. The aroma has a nice brown sugar and honeydew melon fruitiness. The flavor adds toast and a touch of caramel to the mix. This would probably be a great beer if they pumped up the carbonation. The fact I could drink it as flat as it was says something about it. (557 characters)

the colour, A cloudy juice with apple and pear. The smell, a yeasty odour with booze, like something not ready to serve. Taste and mouthfeel - so, so, was better than warmed. Faintest whisp of head and lace. Low carbonation, after a bit of pop in the open. Was this to be served 3 years ago, or needs 6 more months to ferment? (326 characters)

Not so pretty for a quad. Offwhite head and a murky brown color don't make much of an impression.
The odor is strong and sweet; nothing too complex going on in there. Sweetness and booze, some raisins can found in there.
The flavor is more of the same. Rum raisin ice cream, maybe.
The mouthfeel makes me think I've just eaten a sweet, chocolate cake, and just washed it down with some cola. RC cola comes to mind.
Not too shabby but there are plenty of brews out there for less money that are easier to get a hold of that I'd pick before this one. (552 characters)

Review from 7/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark orange amber with a slight head and no lacing. Aroma estery and boozy. Flavor of brown sugar, fruit, especially orange, booze. Odd spicy finish, mega booze. Interesting flavors, but not at all balanced and the alcohol dominates. Interesting flavors if it was a bit more balanced. (352 characters)

A - Lighter in color than expected from a quad. Cream colored head that settles quickly.

S - Caramel, raisin, yeast...a sticky bun in a glass!

T - Alcohol bite, grainy malt, vague raisin/candy sugar flavors.

M - Thin feel with strong alcohol.

There are certainly better quads out there. This beer has the right notes but the volume has been turned way down. While the label marks it as an ale brewed with spices, these flavors are lacking or hidden by the alcohol bite. (520 characters)

Pours the color of caramel candy apple, hazy with brown dominant and red tints. No head at all and very little evidence of any carbonation.
Aroma is coriander, spciy yeast, some burnt brown sugar and candi sugar with a hint of some dark citurs fruit.
Flavor starts with dark malt, almost chocolate hint that moves to a bready, grain alcohol hit and finishes with a heavy yeast hit.
Mouthfeel is average to me. The total lack of carbonation just does not help this beer. Sour, sweet and bitter seems to be too much to balance.
Drinkability is average at best. Beer just does not have enough to get past lack of carbonation and a real direction. (647 characters)

Pours a two finger light tan head that fades quickly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Cloudy amber color, ton of yeast in bottom of bottle. Light carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Cognac/raisiny nose. Starts sweet and raisiny, smooth, high ABV is barely noticeable. Their Dubbel is very similar. $4.49 for a 330ml bottle from John's Grocery Iowa City, Ia.

10oz glass, $8, on-tap at Ebenezer's Restaurant and Pub Lovell, ME. Seems to be quite different from the bottled version - white head, flavor is sweet and tart with a nose that has a tartness to it. Clean finish. (576 characters)

Not exactly sure of the year on this one, but I've had it in my cellar for at least 2-3 years. Poured from bottle into a Corsendonk chalice. Beer was an iced tea brown color with a thick, two-finger, tan head. Moderate carbonation and lacing.

Aroma was very sweet candi sugar, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, caramel, but also a touch of grass and citrus. Lots going on in the nose.

Taste was not overly sweet, but lots of malt, sugar, honey, along with lemon, grapes and yeast.

Very bold aroma, but a bit lighter in the taste. Still pretty boozy. Has held up very well. Not your average quad. (592 characters)

Poured into a snifter. Murky, reddish-brown with fat, plentiful bubbles forming an active foamy film on the surface and a neat ring around the edges. When the chill haze fades it is much more orange and clear.

Aroma us earthy, funky, some hard to identify fruit, like brandied cherries, or prune. Some alcohol in the nose, but nothing too fusel-like.

Taste is of sour malt, toffee, roasted lemon, raisin, some deep orange like Grand Marnier (from the hops?), candy sugar sweetness. The fruitiness is wrapped up in the alcohol warmth like a brandy or mascerated fruit. Bitterness is moderate, with spices and alcohol keeping the finish dry. Some medicinal taste in the finish.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly fizzy, which keeps the body in the medium range. Definitely can smell and taste the alcohol, and this one is going right to my head.

Overall some odd flavors going on here that I am not sure I can get a handle on. Seems to have a lot in common with some American barleywines. I think it lacks some coherency, but worth a try.

Edit: I started this one when it was much too cold. The medicinal and sour flavors mellow a bit as it warms, while the alcohol comes to the front, making for a more whiskey/brandy character. More enjoyable, but still a bit raw. Since I bought it in Chattanooga in a liquor store, so i suspect it has had plenty of time on the shelf to age, if not in the best conditions. (1,405 characters)

Purchased at Ramsey Liquors in the late Summer of 2009, this was originally going to be competing against several other quadrupel style beers in a blind tasting. Now, about six months later, I'll sample this beer between fridge and cellar temperature in a Gouden Carolus chalice. 11.2oz. bottle, Vintage 2002.

Appearance- Due to its mighty strength, this beer only offers a thin, quarter-inch head that rapidly sinks into the surface. A cola-like display of bubbles along the glass walls, complete with their audible hiss and pop as they reach the surface, create a wildly active attraction for the eyes. There is absolutely no lacing to be seen.

Smell- Sugary, over-ripened dark fruits such as figs and dates rush the nose, transforming into a suggestion of cocoa and pralines... getting even better as the beer comes to cellar temperature.

Taste- Lush, sweet candi sugar and a rich malt character flood the tastebuds with delight, while the gentle spices and hops add a zip of stinging, lemony bitterness. The alcohol is a bit hot, even with between 7 and 8 years of bottle conditioning... and the effects are imminent. A few ounces left in this small bottle and I'm feeling no pain.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- The texture gets better throughout the tasting, going from prickly to a more foamy, rolling carbonation. I add the yeast to the final 2oz. pour, and the edges are softened along with the alcohol heat. An interesting, enjoyable Belgian quad that has withstood the test of time. (1,491 characters)

M - Thin, smooth, refreshing in spite of the faint alcohol burn on the finish.

D - A pleasing quad, milder than some, but its flavors are nicely balanced. The alcohol is one fo the main flavors, but it astonishing smooth and pleasant. Worth a try. If I see this on-tap, I doubt I will be able to resist. (564 characters)

I had this on tap at the Map Room into a tulip. The beer pours a very light and clear maghonby color. Not what I expect when I"m drinking a quad. The aroma and taste are not what I was expecting either. When I think quad I want trappist quad not this. It has quad tendicies you can smell and taste all the inverted sugar here, but not any notes of caramel or dark fruits. overall, it wasn't what I was expecting, aside from that an average beer on its own merits. (463 characters)

33cl bottle (with a small square of white paper with "002" written in black pen affixed to the back of the bottle with scotch tape) I picked up a few months ago, served at cellar temp (~55F). Poured into my large St. Feuillien goblet, 't Smisje BBBourgondier is a murky pale, rusty brown, like apple cider, with a modest, off-white head that leaves decent lace.

Smell is very strong. Sweet caramel malt and lemon balm (as cited on the label), with a bit of a tang to it. Frankly, its too much - from the first whiff, I was scared of what this would taste like (which proved unfounded).

Taste is pretty good, very robust, there is a sour, spicy bit from the lemon balm, a rich maltiness but more bittersweet, with peppery esters and a bitter, astringent finish that I'd guess is more spices then bittering hops. Not your average quad, more like a kitchen sink BSDA. The aftertaste is rather tannic.

Mouthfeel is full of creamy carbonation, medium bodied.

Drinkability isn't too high, even though it was a pretty enjoyable experience. This is super strong, and while the ABV is well hidden, the flavors are intense, and it's not something you'd want a second glass of, even if you really enjoyed the first. While far from pedestrian, I thought it was overall of average quality. (1,284 characters)

Had a bottle for $10 at The Farmhouse in Emmaus, PA. Poured murky brown with a short tan head. 12% is a lot for a Belgian and it shows. This beer is more barleywine than anything, though the Belgian influence is there. The big fig and cocoa malt flavor are certainly rich, but the body is thin and dry enough (like a good quad) to make this drinkable and avoid a syrup-y feeling. Still the flavor isn't terribly complex. I'd call this more of a strong dark as it doesn't resemble your average quad. (498 characters)

Appearance: rich light-brown hue with tons of effervescence. Poured with about four fingers of frothy, fizzy tan foam despite a pretty gentle pour. Not bad!

Smell: sweet, malty aroma with a fruity, somewhat tart tinge to it. Alcohol is definitely present. Good, but not great.

Taste: sweetly malty with some bright fruit flavors and a little bit of nuttiness toward the end. Apple and pear are present, but there is a light tartness and the overall effect is much more reminiscent of a lighter beer than a quad. It is tasty enough, but it lacks depth; I like my quads to be contemplative.

Mouthfeel: bodacious, even Brobdingnagian, carbonation. There's a nice creaminess to it, but this sucker might even be over-carbonated. Still, I don't mind that so much.

Overall: this is a tasty beer, even if it's not an exemplary quadrupel. It is quite drinkable for its ABV, and it has enough going on to be interesting (if not necessarily for the style). (1,013 characters)